The five questions every homepage visitor needs answered

Key takeaways

There are five questions a homepage must answer, roughly in this order: what do you do, is it for someone like me, do you cover where I am, why should I trust you, and what do I do next. The first three belong in the first screen. If a visitor has to scroll or click to answer them, many will leave instead.

• What you do, who for and where: all in the first screen.
• Why trust you: specific proof within the first two screens.
• What next: one clear action, with what happens after it.
• Use customers' actual questions to check you have not missed one.

What are the five questions every homepage must answer?

Every homepage must answer: what do you do; is it for someone like me; do you work where I am; why should I believe you; and what should I do next. Visitors ask these in roughly that order, and each answer earns the right to ask the next. They map directly onto the rungs of the GBL Homepage Ladder.

• Why your homepage is not converting visitors into customers
• The homepage conversion ladder: five rungs to an enquiry

What belongs in the first screen?

The first three answers belong before any scrolling: a headline that names what you do, a subheadline that says who it is for and the result they get, and a clear service area or delivery promise. 'Boiler installation and repair across Leeds, usually within 48 hours' answers all three in one line; 'Quality heating solutions' answers none.

• Homepage hero section: the five parts that convert
• Show where you work on your homepage
• What belongs above the fold on a business website

How do you answer 'why should I trust you?' quickly?

Answer it with specific proof rather than adjectives: a review score with a count, a named accreditation that buyers recognise, two or three real projects and a short description of how the service works. Put a compact version straight under the hero and fuller examples lower down.

• The trust bar under your hero: what goes in it
• A 'how it works' section that removes the unknowns

How do you answer 'what should I do next?'

Give one main action with a verb and an outcome, such as 'Get a fixed quote', and tell people what happens after they click: who replies, how and when. Uncertainty about the next step is a common reason people do not enquire, even when they are ready.

• One primary call to action on your homepage
• Microcopy: the small words beside your homepage buttons

When do visitors need different questions answered?

Returning customers, job seekers and suppliers have different questions, and price-led buyers may ask 'how much?' before 'why you?'. Do not rebuild the homepage around them; give them clear, small routes such as a login link, a careers link in the footer or a 'prices from' line if prices suit your business.

• Job seekers, suppliers and customers: clear the homepage
• Should you show prices on your website?

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a homepage that answers 'why us' at length, with values, history and awards, but never says which towns the firm covers. Visitors outside the area waste the firm's time and visitors inside it are not sure. One line under the headline fixes both.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Five questions checklist

• What you do: named plainly in the headline.
• Who for: stated in the subheadline.
• Where: service area or delivery promise in the first screen.
• Why trust you: specific proof within two screens.
• What next: one action and what happens after it.

• Signs your homepage is losing customers
• Who visits your homepage, and what each visitor needs

Next step

Show your first screen to three people outside the business and ask them the first three questions. Write down their exact answers.